News Keyword Search

You are here

GECD Publishes New Graduating Student Survey Results

Deborah Liverman, Director of Career Services, GECD

June 16, 2016

Each year, GECD organizes data from two graduating student surveys into public reports.The data, which is now available on GECD's website, lends insight into what students do after graduation and during their summers. The surveys consist of the Graduating Student Survey, sent to undergraduate and master’s graduates, and the Earned Doctorate Survey, which polls graduate students completing PhDs.

Data from these reports include how many students enter industry jobs or go on to further education or academic jobs; which industries and companies see the most MIT hires; and average starting salaries.

According to this year's Graduating Student Survey, to which 74% of the undergraduate class of 2015 responded, 58% of graduating seniors entered the workforce, with 33% going on to graduate or professional school. Top industries include computer software, consulting and engineering, and the average mean starting salary was $83,455.

In addition, GECD also publishes a biannual Summer Experience Survey report on how undergraduates spend their summers. For the 1,395 students who participated, 63.5% reported having an internship while 35% had a research experience. California, Massachusetts, and New York remain top summer destinations, although 195 student experiences happened abroad.

For those who are interested, all of the graduating student survey data — including overviews, methods, and graphs — is available on GECD’s website.